1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of trapping animals, more specifically to trapping animals by imprisonment. The imprisonment of animals is achieved by the movement of trap portions which are slidably engaged.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The closest prior art known to the applicant is U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,586,350 and 3,508,358. These patents are discussed immediately below, and are referred to as the '350 patent and the '358 patent, respectively.
The '350 patent, granted to Lamb, has a ". . . principal object . . . to facilitate convenient, expeditious and efficient trapping of crabs." Structurally, the trap has ". . . a bottomless housing having downwardly projecting frame members, together with a wall or platform which is slidable upwardly on the frame members to a position wherein it constitutes a closure for the open bottom of the housing . . . "
The instant invention is an improvement over the trap disclosed in the '350 patent in that the trap design of the instant invention has a single means for allowing an operator to:
(a) open and close the trap; PA1 (b) raise and lower the trap to and from the trapping site; and PA1 (c) feel an animal disturbing the bait; PA1 (1) open and close the trap; and PA1 (2) raise and lower the trap; and PA1 (3) feel an animal disturbing the bait.
whereas the trap described in the '350 patent has only means for allowing (a) and (b) above. Nowhere in the '350 patent is there any mention of any means which would be slidably engaged with respect to all of the major trap portions, the means allowing the operator to hold a line which is directly connected to the bait so that the operator can feel a disturbance of the bait by an animal. On the contrary, the '350 patent describes a bight portion (40) to which a line (46) is connected. Thus the line (46) is not directly connected to the bait as in the present invention, hence the operator of the trap described in the '350 patent could not possibly feel a disturbance of the bait in the manner described herein. Otherwise, the '350 patent describes a trap which is very similar to a preferred embodiment the instant invention.
The '358 patent describes a trap which is basically very similar to the trap described in the '350 patent. However, the trap disclosed in the '358 patent contains additional features which are not found in the '350 patent. The '358 patent describes and claims only a trap having ". . . resilient means . . . for closing (the) trap body assembly." In addition, the '358 patent nowhere describes any means by which an operator may feel a disturbance of the bait by an animal. Thus, the instant invention differs from the '358 patent in that the instant invention contains means for the trap operator to directly feel a disturbance of the bait by an animal.